The Beautiful San Ramon Valley Photo courtesy: Ted Shapas
General Meeting (on Zoom)
Tuesday, November 15, 2024, 10:00 a.m.
Karen LaDuca and Bob Venter
"Preserving Family Heritage: Navigating FindaGrave and
Creating Virtual Cemeteries"
This presentation explores the powerful tools and techniques available on FindaGrave, an online platform dedicated to preserving the memory of loved ones through virtual memorials. Attendees will learn how to effectively navigate FindaGrave, search for ancestors, and contribute to the preservation of family heritage by creating memorials or requesting additions to existing memorials. Learn to create virtual cemeteries for your own family by linking to existing memorials even if they are interred in many different cemeteries. These can be made public or kept private. Use this website to help safeguard your family legacies for future generations.
Karen LaDuca received a BS in Math and Elementary Education with a minor in French from NY State College at Oswego and MS. Ed at Buffalo State College. She taught school in the city of Buffalo and in the Rochester NY area. Her interest in genealogy began in the early 1980’s when her paternal grandmother’s sister shared all of her genealogy research. She was hooked, took her first genealogy classes right away, and began researching her mother’s ancestors while still living in the area where they had settled. She and her husband and children relocated to Pleasanton CA in 1993.
Karen joined the San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society in 2019 after doing a presentation on Italian genealogy for the group. She served as Recording Secretary November 2021- June 2024 and is currently 1st Vice President. She also is a member of the Program Committee and is the leader of the German and Italian SIGs. Karen has been volunteering weekly at the Family Search Center in Livermore for almost 10 years.
Bob Venter has been researching his family history for around 40 years, concentrating on his German ancestry. He has been to Germany on several research trips as well as for vacation purposes and has made contact with and visited his many relatives there.
Bob has been a member of SRVGS for over 20 years and has handled the society’s website for almost that long. He was also on the Program Committee for a year or two shortly after joining. He is a retired Aerospace Engineer, having received a BS in Engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He currently lives in Livermore with his wife Mary.
Our General Meetings are held on Zoom and members are notified of how to connect to each meeting. The meetings are also open to the public. If you would like to attend, please email our President to request a link.
Newsletter
Our newsletter is published monthly, except for August and December. In it you will find information on our next speaker, a summary of the last speaker's presentation, the date and location of the current month’s Special Interest Groups, educational opportunities available in the local area and on-line, a list of webinars you can access from your home computer and other timely notices of genealogical interest. You can look through this month's newsletter or browse previous issues.
Special Interest Groups
SIG Meetings Will Be Online: Most SIG groups are using Zoom to meet on-line. SIG Leaders will email call-in instructions to SIG members. To be safe, check with your SIG leader before attending any SIG meetings. Review the latest 5 events (on right side of this web page), or click right below on "View Full Listing" to see all events.
A new AI SIG will begin on September 23, 2024, the 4th Monday at 7pm on Zoom. See more about it on our SIGs page.
SRVGS has had a number of Special Interest Groups over the years in addition to the seven that now meet monthly. We encourage members to start their own SIG meetings on topics they are interested in, as a way of learning by teaching. The SIGs come and go, over the years but we promote them and they are a vital part of our Society. There have been SIGs on Macintosh, Azores Research, Using Computers and the Internet, RootsMagic and more. If you are interested in a topic not currently covered please volunteer to lead the group and we will publicize and arrange a meeting time/place. Our SIG on-line sessions are a very convenient place to meet.
Danville FamilySearch Center
The Danville FamilySearch Center (DFSC) address is: 2949 Stone Valley Rd, Alamo, California 94507. The DFSC Director is Kevin Ganschow.
Fall 2024 DFSC Hours:
- Monday: 10:00am - 1:00pm & 6:30pm - 9:00pm
- Tuesday: 2:00 - 5:00pm
- Wednesday: 1:00 - 4:00pm
These pay-for subscription websites are available for free, during your visit. It could save you quite a bit of money.
- 19th Century British Library Newspapers
- Alexander Street
- American Ancestors
- Ancestry Institution
- ArkivDigital
- FamNet
- Findmypast
- Fold3
- Geneanet
- Goldie May
- Irish Ancestors
- MyHeritage Library Edition
- NewspaperArchive
- Paper Trail
- Puzzilla
The DFSC needs shift volunteers to help patrons with their research. It's pretty amazing how much you know, and can help others by volunteering. So, to volunteer or if you have other questions, call 925-837-7010 and/or contact the DFSC by email.
Visitors please also know that county guidelines are followed so masks are optional and the six foot rule is no longer required. Those that need to avoid climbing steps should call the center prior to coming. We will unlock the side & back gates so they can enter the building thru the back entrance. Additional information is available on the FamilySearch Wiki.
About the San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society
The San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society (SRVGS) was organized in 1985 with the idea of providing resources, assistance and educational opportunities in a social environment that would allow its members to successfully research their ancestry. To fulfill these goals the society offers monthly meetings with speakers presenting topics covering various aspects of genealogical research. It publishes a monthly newsletter to keep our membership informed of the latest happenings. It offers several Special Interest Groups (SIGs), where members with common interests can meet and discuss their specific areas of research. It provides resources ranging from a large selection of reference books, conveniently kept at the Danville Public Library, to information on local genealogical libraries. It also offers classes for the beginning researcher and those interested in genetic DNA. All this is done within a community of like-minded individuals ready to encourage and assist others and to share their experience.
Facebook Page
We have a public Facebook Page where comments from club officers and visitors are made. Usually the posts are helpful genealogy tips that can be acknowledged and commented on. Join us in educating our genealogy community.
BOD Meetings
We have a Monthly Board of Directors meeting, currently via Zoom, where any member of our Society is welcome to attend. To receive a meeting invitation, please email our president at president@srvgensoc.org before the meeting. The BOD meetings begin on the 4th Tuesday of each month, at 10 a.m. and last between 1-2 hours. The BOD does not meet in August or December. Also, please see our About page for more info about our officers.
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